Replacing rotten studs

[Lee Schierer]

From your photos it appears that the dry wall is not the water resistant type and you will again have problems with moisture from the other side. I would recommend replacing the dry wall with a water resistant material (green board or cement board) and putting up a poly film to protect the studs, load bearing or not.

[Gregory Lyons]

The drywall in the photo is on the bedroom side of the wall and is ~35 years old. With the exception of a few small spots adjacent to the rotten stud(s), it's in pretty good shape. While I will be using cement board on the shower side, I'm trying to avoid rebuilding the entire wall. I'll be happiest if I can get by with patching a few screw/nail holes along with the small moldy portion at the bottom.

I agree that the best method would be to replace the whole thing, the existing drywall has lasted a good long time without (much) ill effect. If it ain't broke...

I may go ahead and line the bedroom-side drywall with a vapor barrier under the replaced studs and behind the plumbing.

Thanks for your comments,

~g

[Myk Rian]

Instead of a reciprocating saw, I would use something similar to a Fein Multimaster or Dremel Multimax. These tools would make the job of cutting those nails so much easier than a sawzall.

The blades don't last worth a darn if you cut nails.

[Lee Schierer]

One thing that could be done is to sister a new 2 x 4 next to the damaged ones. As long as the moisture is kept away, the decay will stop where it is and the new studs can carry the wall on the bathroom side.

[Kent A Bathurst]

One thing that could be done is to sister a new 2 x 4 next to the damaged ones. As long as the moisture is kept away, the decay will stop where it is and the new studs can carry the wall on the bathroom side.

Bingo!! Lee is the winner IMO. Saw away what you can, if you can, to remove the extant moisture, sister some new ones - they don't have to be full height, they jus thave to be talled that the rot/decay. The screws/nails from the other side can be "got to" with a hacksaw blade - not the saw, the blade - it'll bend/bow to follow the sheetrock on the other side, if you are reasonably careful.

[Jack DuBois]

Gregory, you're getting ready to re-do you bathroom...the guys at the tilemyworld forum are extremely friendly, helpful and knowledgeable with these exact matters you're dealing with. If you have any Q's about repairing your bath, wander over there...

+1 on ripping out 2by and drywall - doing it right.

PS: do not put travertine directly on top of durock!!! Trav is basically a sponge and durock will happily absorb and retain water that gets past the trav. No surface sealer in the world will prevent water from getting to the durock. Goto that forum and do a search for "kerdi" or "wedi" for an excellent, bulletproof waterproof backer for tile. These type of systems are totally the way to go. Paint on sealers can be done effectively, but are difficult for the non-pro. Good luck!

Cheers,
Jack

[Tom Godley]

Before you rip the studs and the drywall out -- clean all the stuff out that has to come out and spray everything with some bleach.

I can not tell if the drywall on the bedroom side is really damaged - but if it is just stained it will be fine.

Depending on what you are going to put up a little damage on the face of the stud would not be a problem - you can always sister another next to it.


Now if it is rotten all the way and it is a bearing wall you may have to go further -- but the bleach will kill all the surface stuff.

[Mike Cutler]

I may go ahead and line the bedroom-side drywall with a vapor barrier under the replaced studs and behind the plumbing.

Thanks for your comments,

~g

Uhmm...... I don't think you really want to do this.
The vapor barrier would go between the studs and the Durock on the shower side, or the face of the Durock would be primed and sealed with an anti fracture membrane such as Redguard.
A vapor barrier on both sides of the studs would capture moisture in the void space. The area has to breathe properly.

Tile My World, as I know it, is a book title by John Bridge. John has an internet forum very similar to this forum in civility and good manners. A very good forum for all things tiling.
Ann Internet search under John's name will bring the site right up. Before yu redo anything in your bathroom I highly recommend a peruse of the forum. Especially the "Liberry".

[Richard Dragin]

How does replacing the studs one at a time fix the problem when the bottom plate must have the most damage? Isn't that and any water damage below it the real problem?

[Aaron Wingert]

I ran into the same problem in my bathroom after the previous owner hired a hack that didn't know that tile/grout are not waterproof.

Here's what I did....Perhaps it'll give you an idea or two.
The first pic shows the load bearing bottom plate, rim joist, floor sheathing and studs all rotted out and punky. Big mess.

The second pic shows the punky parts cut out and replaced. The studs on the left are not load bearing, but the ones grouped together on the right are. I was able to easily remove them without damaging the sheetrock. The new studs were applied to the existing studs with gun nails and I used construction adhesive to bond the drywall to the back of each new stud. Adhesive is perfectly fine in lieu of new fasteners. My rock was moldy in places so I did have no choice but to tear off some of the moldy paper and shoot everything with bleach and give it a good scrubbing.

Let me also echo what others have said about waterproofing the shower properly. Kerdi is by far the best product on the market for doing so in my opinion. Redguard is a cheaper and easier way to waterproof your backerboard that is fairly effective, although not as good as Kerdi.

[scott vroom]

You can try sistering in new studs as long as the base plate isn't damaged. If it were my house, however, I'd rip the entire rotten mess out and put in all new base plate, studs and drywall. Like my pappy used to tell me: "Son, go big or go home".

Good luck with your project! I agree with the other poster who directed you to the John Bridge Tile forum.....there's some amazing talent hanging out there and you'll get plenty of good advice.

[Rich Engelhardt]

A few have mentioned using bleach...

Don't do it.

Bleach is incorrect for possible mold remediation.

Please, don't take my word for it, search on line for the proper method and materials to deal with it.

I'm also with Scott - I'd gut the whole mess and replace it with new & make sure it's up to code.

That stud that's missing half isn't anywhere near code.

Look at it this way, it's easier and cheaper to do it right now, then it will be to tear it all out and redo it should an inspector be called in.
Also - since it appears there is mold, that will have to be listed on a disclosure should you ever sell.

Having to tear out all your hard work and have the mold dealt with as a condition of sale just plain would suck.

[Matt Day]

Replace it all. You'll be glad you did in the end.

If it's black like that it's mold IMO. If you sister another 2x4 to the stud, yes you're replacing the damaged stud but your cleat on the bottom is still rotted/moldy and you're leaving all that mold in place.

You're already in there, do the right thing and take it out and replace the drywall on the bedroom side too (that probably has mold in it).

[Tom Godley]

Just because it is black does not equate with mold. This can be mildew and even a type of black algae that can grow in these situations. Even if it is mold its not the end of the world - this stuff is all around us everyday and can be treated.

You can do a project "right" without ripping everything out - where does it end -- I bet the floor and rafters got wet also!

[phil harold]

Just because it is black does not equate with mold. This can be mildew and even a type of black algae that can grow in these situations. Even if it is mold its not the end of the world - this stuff is all around us everyday and can be treated.

You can do a project "right" without ripping everything out - where does it end -- I bet the floor and rafters got wet also!

From 30 years as remodeling professional I have to agree with this statement

are the studs solid or soft?

You picture does not warrant stud removal

Once it is dry, close it up, there is now moisture and mold resitant sheetrock

If you decide to tile use the proper backing (not sheetrock)

Dont make a mountain out of a mole hill